Site of former 5-7 The Square

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Site, in the middle of the terrace on the W side of The Square, of a long two storey house with shop, demolished in 1998 with new building now built in place.

The building was described in the first survey of December 1970 as ‘Two storey house and shop associated with Nos.9-11 on left hand. Roof slated. Chimneys rendered. Wall splatterdashed and painted. Cornice and parapet at eaves with panel and vase at right hand. Base course. Six first floor and two ground floor drop hung [i.e. sash] windows, no astragals. Ground floor from left hand has coachway, flat elliptic arch head, window, window, [then] doorway (No.7) [with] stone surround with cornice over lintel, panelled door with plain fanlight, and, on right hand, recent shop front with recessed glazed door and grocer shop window, all with signboard over with twin corbels at ends. Condition fair. About 52ft frontage.’

A new building (an office) has been built on this site, to the same dimensions as its predecessor. This new building also has a parapet and the vase from the previous building’s parapet has been placed on the new one.

Historical information

The house which stood on this house until recently used have an inscribed panel which read ‘This house built by John Milling, merchant in Comber A.D. 1731’. The Milling family remained in possession of the property until its demolition, living and trading from there throughout the whole period, with James Milling recorded as a grocer and ‘spirit and porter dealer’ in 1856 and as running a ‘hotel’ in 1870. In fact the property may have been as a hotel of some description long before this for Slater’s Directory of 1846 states that a ‘coach and a van (from Killyleagh) call at James Milling’s every morning (Sunday excepted) at eight’. In 1886 James Milling (possibly the son of the above), is listed as a draper, grocer, mineral water manufacturer, timber, coal and iron merchant and undertaker. When surveyed in 1970, another James Milling was still running a undertakers from the premises and the property also incorporated a grocer’s shop.

As might be expected, the building appears to have undergone some alteration throughout its near 270 year history, with the vase topped parapet (which its neighbour to the south also sported) perhaps added in c.1825 and the shop front undoubtedly inserted a long time after 1731.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.654/M1B/2 Londonderry Papers- ‘Survey of the town, tenements and parks of Comber…1722’
2 Linen Hall Library ‘Pigot & Co.’s Dublin and Hibernian Provincial Directory’ (Manchester 1824).
3 PRONI VAL 1B/316A p.54 1st valuation, Comber, 1834.
4 PRONI OS/1/3/10 OS map, 1st ed. 1834, Down 10.
5 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1846), p.443.
6 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1856), p.506.
7 PRONI OS/6/3/10/3 OS map, 1st rev. 1858, Down 10.
8 PRONI 2nd valuation, Comber, 1861.
9 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1870).
10 George Henry Bassett ‘County Down Guide and Directory’ (Dublin 1886), pp.303-305.
11 PRONI OS/2/3/10 OS map, 2nd ed. 1901, Down 10.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Site (in the middle of a terrace) of a large, two storey house originally dating from 1731. The building was demolished in 1998 and a new office, built to roughly the same dimensions and incorporating an ornamental parapet vase from the original property, now occupies its position.